


apple seeds

by slugpostage



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Gen, Internalized Homophobia, Language, Lesbian Amber (Andi Mack), Pregnancy, Some angst?, T. J. Kippen & Amber Are Twins, Teen Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, bex is supportive!!, cyrus goodman and amber are wlw mlm solidarity, cyrus is supportive!!, how aged? idk thats tbd, how could i forget that one?, let my kids swear :(, this might eventually turn into ambi idk yet, tj is supportive!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-09-24 12:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slugpostage/pseuds/slugpostage
Summary: Amber Kippen has always been careful. When Andi Mack had tried to steal her boyfriend, she strategically steered Jonah as far away from her as possible. When her twin brother TJ came to her and told her he liked boys, she made sure to flaunt that she was his sister and that she'd kill anyone who dared talk about her baby brother. When she discovered she had strange feelings for her best friend Iris, she knew that she had to quietly end their friendship.What she didn't anticipate, though, was a drunken mistake at a party.Now, Amber's lost. She's pregnant, and she doesn't know what to do. But she knows she can be certain about one thing—she'll be careful about this, because no one can find out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi! i have no self control lol. 
> 
> this is an amber-centric fic about her pregnancy journey. 
> 
> before i begin, i'd like to give out some trigger warnings for what i know so far about this story. i'll also add them to the notes of each chapter, and most likely the tags as well. 
> 
> TW: pregnancy, teen pregnancy, unexpected pregnancy, language, internalized homophobia. PLEASE DON'T IGNORE THESE. they're here for your safety. i don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable reading my fics, this one specifically, so if any of the following trigger warnings make you feel queasy, then you can skip out on this, i won't mind.
> 
> i'd also like to let y'all know that i won't be updating this until AFTER i finish my scott pilgrim AU. i want to put all of my focus into finishing that fic before i dive into this one (even though we already know that i'm fleshing the hell out of this one right now). so please subscribe/bookmark this so can come back to it!
> 
> if you're still here, great! i'd love your feedback on this idea, so comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr @slugpostage !!! have a good day :o)

Amber's period is late. 

She wouldn't normally consider it a big deal—the human body is an enigma—but it's been a week. It's also been exactly three weeks and two days since she made the worst decision of her life.

She snuck out and went to a party. Not atypical of her, but she should've known it was a bad idea when she felt her stomach twist at the door. When she walked in, it was like any other party, except Iris was there.

Also not atypical, just kind of strange for Amber. She and Iris stopped talking after freshman year. There was no fight—they ended on good terms, but Amber always felt it was bittersweet. Now, seeing her here, her hair shorter than before, skin glowing under the multi-colored light, all she could do was stare. Soon, though, she didn't have to keep staring, because someone shoved her into Iris, causing her to spill her drink.

They talked for a while, seemingly picking up where they left off, and it was great! Amber couldn't remember the last time she'd ever had so much fun at a party. Until she fucked it up.

She started staring at her for too long. She noticed how big and brown Iris' eyes were, and how long her lashes were. She caught herself glancing down at her hands that looked  _ so soft _ . She hung onto every word that came out of Iris' mouth and watching her lips move was mesmerizing. 

And then Amber kissed her.

She didn't know why she did it. She wasn't drunk, so it's not like she could blame it on alcohol. She'd never had an impulse like that, or an impulse that strong. It was as if someone planted a seed in her gut, and it grew roots and stayed there, and she didn't notice until it was an apple tree growing up and out of her throat. The apple, the forbidden fruit she tried so desperately to avoid was within her, and swarming around her tree were wasps. She was so lost, so vulnerable, and she knew it was a mistake the minute she leaned in and rested her forehead against hers.

After she kissed her, Amber fled to the kitchen and drank herself stupid. And when a boy asked her if she wanted to go upstairs, she said yes. 

It wasn’t the best decision, and she doesn’t remember much of anything about it. She just knew that she felt awful after it happened—both literally and figuratively. The figurative part has been with her since right after it happened. She gave up her virginity over a boy she didn’t even know, and now she’ll never be able to get it back. The literal part, on the other hand, had just come up when she’d discovered just how late her period was. 

So, she stole a pregnancy test from her mom's bathroom.

Her gut churned as she clutched the stick in her trembling fingers. How could a piece of plastic have so much authority over her life? It never made much sense to her. 

“Okay,” she muttered. “Two lines for yes, one line for no...please,  _ please _ be a ‘no’...” 

She followed the instructions to the letter, which led to her sitting on her bathroom floor, waiting for the results. She looked out the window and into the swirling navy blue sky that was growing lighter by the minute. She couldn’t risk doing this while everyone was awake, so she set her alarm for three-thirty. Her eyes wandered down to the walls. The white of her bathroom looks more medical than she remembered. She’d always thought of it as pristine and fresh, but now it just leaves a bad taste in her mouth. She pulls her knees to her chest, and the timer goes off on her phone. 

Amber rose to her feet. She shuffled over to the counter that seemed miles away and glanced down at the plastic stick. She reached out to grab it and yanked her hand back, her fingertips burning. She let out a shaky breath and reached for it again. Amber squeezed her eyes shut and lifted it up. She opened her eyes, blinking away the haziness, and looked down. Staring back at her were two pink lines. 

Amber Kippen was pregnant. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, throughout all of this, she forgot about herself. She’d forgotten about what the people at school would think of the popular girl who’d turned down every guy in school just to get pregnant by some rando at a party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter TW: mentions of abortion, self-deprecating thoughts, mentions of food/eating (this can be sensitive to some)

Amber sits in her room, tucked away next to her bookshelf. The sun rose around twenty minutes ago, and its rays cast a golden glow over her peachy room. She’s been sitting on the floor for hours, trying to quell the feelings that threatened to boil over the surface, but now she only feels numb. 

“Pregnant,” she tries. The word feels foreign to her. She lets out a bitter laugh and leans back to lay on the floor. She runs her hand through the carpeting. Pregnant. It could always be a fluke, she thought. The test could’ve been expired, and she could probably be getting her period right now. Why was she panicking? Everything would be totally fine. 

Except, no, it wouldn’t, because Amber knew that this was all too real. There was no way she’d be able to have a baby. With her parent’s recent split and her dad moving out, there’s no way her mom would be able to help her, and her job at the _ Spoon _ would never be enough to cover what she’d need to take care of the baby. Oh, God, her mom. What would she think, having a grandchild so soon? Amber sat up and carded her fingers through her long blonde hair. What could she do? She knew she didn’t want to get an abortion, but would she even be able to pay for one? Are they covered by insurance or something? Would she have to get a parent’s permission to be able to go? 

She knew she was spiraling, but she just couldn’t stop. She thought about all the times she’s seen _ Teen Mom _ reruns on MTV, and how she’d never watched them because her dad had always said that they made stupid irreversible mistakes. But now, _ she’s _ the one who made the stupid and irreversible mistake. What the hell was she gonna do? 

There was a knock on her door. “Yeah?” she croaks. 

The door opens, and her brother TJ steps in. “Hey, do you wanna play Minecraft?” 

Amber rolls her eyes, “Theo, get out.” She didn’t have time for him right now. 

“Hey, don’t call me Theo! That’s reserved for Cyrus only.” He crosses his arms over his chest. 

Amber scoffs, “I’ve known you longer! I should be allowed to call you by the nickname that _ I _ gave you!” 

“Whatever. So, are we playing Minecraft or not?” 

“Wait, why are you even awake?” She asks him. It was barely six in the morning and TJ usually sleeps in until noon when he can.

“Oh, I never went to sleep,” he says. 

Amber feels her stomach lurch. “You—you what?” 

“Yeah, Cyrus and I stayed up on FaceTime watching documentaries and talking about dinosaurs and stuff.” 

Shit. Does that mean he heard her go into their bathroom at four in the morning? Amber can feel her heart thrumming in her throat.

“Hey, Ambs, are you okay?”

“What? Me?” she says, “Yeah, I’m fine.” She’s not fine. She feels clammy and disgusting. Her face is hot but the rest of her body is ice cold, and her mouth is uncomfortably dry. 

TJ shakes his head in protest, “No, you’re not, you look like you’re about to keel over and die. Go get in the shower, I’ll call the diner and tell them you’re sick.” 

“No, TJ, stop it, I’m f—” She closes her mouth before she can finish. A deep wave of nausea flows over her. She stands up and steadily walks into their bathroom. “Call them now.”

TJ nods, pulling out his phone, and walks down the hall. 

———

She doesn’t throw up. To be honest, she’s glad she doesn’t. Throwing up would’ve probably put her body into more shock than it’s already in. The nausea from before was just from her anxiety. She’d looked it up after her shower—morning sickness doesn’t start until four weeks of pregnancy. But wait, when does that start? Amber makes a mental note to track her pregnancy on a digital calendar. 

Right now, she’s more focused on other things. Now that she doesn’t have to go to work today, she can take the time to sleep, calm herself down some more, and eat olives until she passes out. Well, not literally. She’s never been a fan of olives, but for some reason, she’s been wanting them since she left the bathroom that morning. Maybe it was a Pavlov thing? Now that she knew she was..._ pregnant _, maybe now she’s tricking herself into thinking she’s having cravings without realizing it. It’d be a good craving to have, too, since she’s been trying to watch what’s been going into her body. 

Amber could hear TJ’s mocking voice in her head already. _ Apparently, you weren’t watching what went into your body enough, because now you have an entire child growing inside of you. _He probably wouldn’t mean for it to be malicious—ever since he started hanging out with Cyrus, he’s been much nicer—but she knew that she’d definitely take it personally. TJ never had much of a filter, and she’s thankful he stopped hanging around Reed and Lester. Jeez, if they were still around while she was pregnant, she’d never hear the end of it.

Oh no, TJ. Amber hadn’t even thought about her twin’s position in all of this. He’d only just come out a few months ago, and he was scared out of his mind about that. What’s he gonna do when he finds out his twin sister is pregnant? Not only when _ he _ finds out, but when the _ entire student body _ finds out? He’ll never hear the end of it.

Somehow, throughout all of this, she forgot about herself. She’d forgotten about what the people at school would think of the popular girl who’d turned down every guy in school just to get pregnant by some rando at a party. 

Amber picks up a fluffy pillow and smushes it into her face, letting out a groan. “What am I gonna do?” she mutters, but it’s muffled through the pillow. She doesn’t know what to do in the long run, but she knows what she can do right now—take a nap.

———

Amber sleeps all day and doesn’t wake until four in the afternoon. She probably would have slept longer, but her stomach woke her up. That and she could hear TJ talking nonstop in his room. She loves her brother, she really does, but sometimes she thinks TJ forgets that he doesn’t practically share a room with her.

Amber sits up and lets her feet hang over her bed. She should probably change her pajamas, shouldn’t she? 

Amber walks over to her dresser and pulls out a pair of pink pajamas. She holds them up and smiles at them. They’d always been her favorite. She’d gotten them for Christmas a few years ago and had fallen absolutely in love with them. 

She looks down at the rest of her clothes in her dresser. _It’s such a shame that you spent years becoming the person you've always wanted and now you have to throw it all away._ _What happens when you start showing? Those crop tops won’t be good for much longer._

Amber grimaces and quickly shuts the drawer before her mind can think of anything worse. 

She walks through the hall, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. Her mom is leaning against the counter, a steaming mug in her hand. Amber’s stomach drops.

“Hi, Mama,” Amber says quietly. 

Her mom glances up from her cup and sets it down on the counter. “Hey, sweetheart.” Amber shuffles over to her and wraps her arms around her mother’s torso. She lays her head down on her chest and listens to her heartbeat. 

“Your brother told me you weren’t feeling too well, so I made you some tea,” her mom says, pointing to the kettle on the stove. 

“Thank you. Do we have any olives?” 

Her mom looks down at her, “Where’s this coming from? You’ve never been a fan of olives.”

“Well,” Amber starts, scrambling to think of an excuse. “I just thought it’d be a good substitute for chips, you know? I’m really focusing on being healthy right now.” _ For the baby _ goes unspoken. 

Her mom smiles fondly. “That’s great, honey. I wish I was like this when I was your age.”

_ Not if you knew _ , Amber thinks to herself. She pulls away from her mother, feeling the guilt begin to build. And, when she thought she couldn’t feel any worse, her brain decides to fuck her over and send her into a coughing fit. _ Maybe that was just the baby. _

Her mom gives her a concerned look, and Amber shrugs. “Just...must’ve gone down the wrong hole,” she says. She chuckles nervously and quickly moves to the stove to pour her tea.

Should she tell her? Will she be mad? Of course, she'll be mad, her only daughter is _ pregnant _ . She's a _ teen mom _. Well, only technically since this morning, but it still counts. What's stopping her from kicking her out? Nothing, that's what. Amber can feel the shame redden her face. No, it's what she has to do. 

"Hey, Mom? I have something to tell you…" 

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Her mom exclaims, “Your friend Andi called earlier while you were asleep. She was worried when you weren’t at work, so I told her…” 

Amber stopped listening at that point. Fuck, _ Andi _. Every time Amber thinks she has everything figured out, something else has to come up. Andi and Amber hadn’t had the best track record. During the summer before her freshman year, Amber met a really nice boy named Jonah at the record store across town. The Red Rooster was a tiny little shop, owned by an older couple that lived up the road in a big house on a hill. Amber accidentally backed into him while she was looking for Natasha Bedingfield. 

They turned around and apologized at the same time, and they talked for almost half an hour. Jonah was cute, she supposed. He had nice eyes and dimples and was probably everything you’d ever want in a guy. They exchanged numbers and texted for the rest of the night. 

When she got home, she was glued to her phone, and her father kept teasing her about her “new boyfriend.” It made her stomach twist every time he brought it up, and she never really knew why. She didn’t know why he kept saying that they were dating, she’d never had a boyfriend before. She blindly agreed with what he was saying, though, and a week later, she and Jonah were an item. 

It was fine at first. It just felt like they were best friends, and they were, which was a bonus. They’d hang out at the park, or they’d go over to Jonah’s house and just sit and talk about how school was going, and she’d go to his Ultimate games every week. It was really nice until Jonah’s new friend Andi showed up. 

Andi had a solid reputation for being the sweetest girl to ever exist. Amber never had a problem with her until some of the girls in her homeroom made comments about her ‘stealing her man.’ No, Jonah wouldn’t leave her, would he? They’re best friends, he _ has _ to stay. Amber had never felt so insignificant and insecure in her life, so she swore to herself that she’d never let anyone see her like that, _ especially _ Andi.

It turns out, though, Andi wasn’t a threat at all. Really, it was Jonah who she should’ve been worried about. He was never boyfriend material, as her friends said (but what was the criteria?), but she couldn’t blame him for breaking up with her. After they agreed to be friends, she tried making amends with Andi. She didn’t really try hard enough, though, because apparently now she’s blacklisted by Andi’s entire family, and she still got jealous after she and Jonah eventually started dating. 

Andi decided that she and Jonah were better off as friends, which was great for Amber because it meant that she could have her best friend back. This was during the time her parents’ fighting had increased tenfold. She really needed someone to lean on, and Jonah was there. She cherished every moment they had together, and with TJ out of the house all the time, he was her safe space, so much so that she thought she was in love with him. She broke her own heart over and over because she worshipped this boy, and after she confessed, he completely shut her out. 

The only good thing that really came from that was Cyrus Goodman. 

He was nice to her when no one else was, even when she knew she didn't deserve it. Out of some weird miracle, he'd helped her mend the broken bond between her and Andi, and create a new one with Buffy Driscoll. He also worked his magic on TJ, because shortly after, they started dating and have been inseparable ever since. 

"What is it that you wanted to tell me, sweetheart?" Her mom asks. 

Amber jolts back to reality and blinks. "Oh," she says with a nervous smile, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be taking up some extra shifts at the _ Spoon _." Amber, you're a dumbass. "You know, to pay for extracurriculars and stuff." Could anyone be dumber than Amber Kippen? Nope. 

Her mother rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Honey, I'm so proud of you!" 

_ Not for long _, Amber thought. 

Her mother pulled back to look down at her, a fond smile on her lips. "You know, ever since your father and I separated, you've really stepped up around here. You're really starting to become an adult."

Oh, she was, alright. But now she was completely sure of something: no one, especially Andi, could _ ever _ find out about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i'm back earlier than usual, it's because i'm messy. but tell me what u think!! comments + kudos are appreciated!!
> 
> follow me on tumblr @slugpostage
> 
> have a great day :o)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After she’s certain that her stomach is empty, she takes a few moments to cough and breathe. She reaches blindly for the toilet paper and wipes her mouth, discarding it into the toilet. She leans back and flushes, trying her best not to look down at the contents. While she flushes the toilet, Amber thinks she hears the door creak open, but she doesn’t dwell on it. 
> 
> "Fuck…" she mutters. "This baby's gonna kill me…" 
> 
> “Baby?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter TW: descriptive anxiety, vomit (vague descriptions because i, myself, have a fear of it), swearing, mentions of abortion, mentions of consent/non-consent

what to do when youre pregn|

Amber stared at her screen. Had it really come to this? Yes, it definitely had. She’s tucked away on a stool behind the counter at the Spoon, Google searching pregnancy advice. Business has been slow today, since most people are spending Thanksgiving break with their families, so Amber wasn’t really doing much.

She looked down at the half-typed search. It’s still weird for her to even consider herself pregnant. The word itself just gave her an overall bad feeling. Amber bites her thumb and reads it over and over again before shaking her head and quickly erasing the Google search.

“Amber! I’m not paying you to sit on your phone all day, you have a table!”

Amber let out a sigh and closed the Google tab. “Sorry,” she called out, putting her phone back in her pocket. “I’m on it right now.”

Amber straightened her hat and pulled her notepad out of the pocket on her apron. She’d always thought the uniform was tacky, but honestly, it was starting to grow on her. She walked over to the booth by the window and smiled, “Hey, Cyrus.”

“Hi Amber,” he replied. Cyrus pushed up the sleeves of his dark blue sweater and picked up a menu. “I’m thinking of changing my order this week.”

Amber chuckled, “Does this involve paying off your tab?”

“Honestly, I’m just seeing how long I can keep doing this,” he answers, completely serious.

Amber looks down and smiles, shaking her head, “What’ll it be, squirt?”

“Baby taters, as usual, and...how about a milkshake?”

Amber stares at him, “Cyrus, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but that's the same thing you order every time you come here.”

“Not true!" Cyrus retorts. "Once I ordered a cola float.”

“Yeah, and then you sent it back and got a milkshake.”

“Well…” Cyrus starts. “What if I got an iced tea?”

“Don’t,” Amber says quickly.

He grimaces and pushes his menu away, “I’ll just have my usual, then.”

Amber offers a tight-lipped smile and turns on her heel. Cyrus comes here every day with his friends after school, and once he found out Amber was taking up more hours, he started coming by himself to see her at work. It was really sweet of him, but also kind of ridiculous. She knows he loves the baby taters, but he’s had them twice a day for the past five days.

If Amber were to tell anyone about her pregnancy, it would be Cyrus. He was sweet, dependable, intelligent, caring, and would probably make a great pseudo-father. Not that she’d ever tell anyone. She couldn’t afford word getting out, especially to Cyrus’ parents. His mother was the biggest gossip in Shadyside. When Andi found out that Bex was actually her mother, and Celia Mack was her grandmother, the entire town knew about it in less than twelve hours. Amber can’t imagine what would happen if the news about her...her baby...spread.

A chill crawls throughout her body. After five days, Amber still hasn’t gotten used to the b-word. Or the p-word. Or the idea of other people knowing. The entire pregnancy was just too overwhelming for her to begin to be able to comprehend. She’s been weighing her options, and she still hasn’t gotten anywhere with a decision. She doesn’t have much time, though. Amber huffs out a breath, inhaling deeply through her nose. She can feel the anxiety building inside of her. It was almost inescapable at this point, and it was driving her nuts. She wipes her palms on the front of her apron and pins the ticket above the window, feeling another cold shock through her body.

"Hey, uh…" she says to the man in the kitchen. "Cyrus just wants his usual, thanks." Her voice sounds thick and foreign. She turns away, and starts toward a dirty table, until she feels something in her throat. Oh no.

She runs to the back of the diner, pushing the swinging door open as hard as she can. She darts into the bathroom and finds the nearest open stall before unloading her guts into the toilet.

She coughs and gags, grimacing at the taste. She fights back another gag, but her body betrays her, and she retches, throwing up again. After she’s certain that her stomach is empty, she takes a few moments to cough and breathe. She reaches blindly for the toilet paper and wipes her mouth, discarding it into the toilet. She leans back and flushes, trying her best not to look down at the contents. While she flushes the toilet, Amber thinks she hears the door creak open, but she doesn’t dwell on it.

"Fuck…" she mutters. "This baby's gonna kill me…"

“Baby?”

Amber whips her head around to find where the voice came from. Standing in the doorway is Cyrus, holding a plastic cup filled with water and a container of Altoids.

“Uh—!” Amber scrambles to face him, too weak to stand. She moves her hand to her stomach, but she quickly stops herself, slapping it against the dirty tile floor.

“Amber, what baby?” He asks. “What’s—what’s going on?”

“I—” Amber struggled to find the words to say. “God, there’s no way I can cover this up, is there?” She asked, unable to meet his gaze.

He shook his head, “You can explain it to me once we get to your house.” He knelt down beside her and extended the cup toward her. Gingerly, she took it from him and took languid sips from it as he continued. “Your manager said you should take the rest of the day off because you’re sick, and I just asked for my stuff to-go.”

“Oh,” she said lamely. “Look, um—just tell them there’s a bug going around or something. I’ll meet you outside.”

He nods. “Okay.”

Amber speeds through hanging up her hat and apron and practically runs out the door to her bike. Cyrus is standing there, one hand wrapped around a styrofoam cup, while the other is holding on tightly to a greasy bag of baby taters. He frowns as he watches her wheel her bike toward him.

“I’m not very comfortable with bikes,” he says nervously.

Amber rolls her eyes, “Then you can walk home.” She swings a leg over her bike and sits, kicking up the kickstand. She puts her foot on the right pedal, but Cyrus stops her.

“Wait!” he yells.

Amber puts her foot down and turns to look at him over her shoulder, “What?”

“If I ride on your bike, where will I sit?”

A grin slowly spreads across Amber’s face.

———

“I don’t think this is legal,” Cyrus says. He’s seated inside of the basket on Amber’s bike, curled up as small as he can be. His milkshake just barely fits into the cupholder on her handlebars, and he’s clutching his bag of baby taters closely to his chest.

“I’m going slow,” Amber huffs. “If we get in trouble, which we won’t, I’ll just make up an excuse or something. But nobody’s gonna be patrolling this week, they’re all at home.”

Cyrus gives a curt nod, “That’s fair.”

“We’re almost home,” Amber says after a few moments. She bites her lip, “We probably should’ve made a plan on how we’re gonna get in the house without anyone noticing.”

“Well,” Cyrus starts, “you can tell your mom that you got sick at work and that you found me outside waiting for TJ. Then, we just won’t tell TJ I’m here, because he has plans with Marty and Jonah today, and I _refuse_ to be involved with that.” He shudders at the thought.

“Wow, Cyrus. I never took you as a schemer,” Amber says, impressed.

He shrugs, “I’m more of a planner than anything.”

When they get home, Amber parks—well, stands—her bike up against the garage, and enters through the front door. The TV is on in the living room, but there’s no one there.

“Mom?” she calls out, entering the kitchen. There, above the stove, is a piece of paper torn from a spiral notebook.

_I got called into work for emergency surgery :( Won’t be back home until well into tomorrow. TJ, DO NOT WAKE ME UP WHEN I GET HOME. Take money from the Pizza Jar for dinner tonight. Love you!_

“The pizza jar?” Cyrus asks.

Amber waves her hand dismissively, “We have a jar full of twenties for when Mom gets called in for surgery. It’s easier than her having to take money out of her wallet.”

“Ohhhh.”

“Yeah.” Amber opes a couple cabinets before pulling out a bottle of syrup and two plates. She also grabs a spoon and a Mickey Mouse straw she got from her family trip to Disneyland when she was ten. “Now, c’mon, the baby taters are probably cold and gross.”

She and Cyrus rush up the stairs and into her room, and Cyrus closes the door behind him. The pair plop down onto the ground and pour the bag onto the plates.

Cyrus is the first to talk, “Okay, spill.”

“Wow, pushy,” Amber comments, popping a baby tater into her mouth. She takes a few moments to chew and sucks the syrup off of the tip of her thumb. “Okay. You have to swear that you’ll never tell _anyone_. I mean it—not Andi, not Buffy, not your _mom_—”

“I get it, Amber,” he says. “Tell no one.”

“Okay…” she takes a deep breath. “I’m...I’m pregnant.” She anxiously pulls at the skin on her lip with her teeth, waiting for a reaction. Cyrus sits there, unmoving for a few moments. “C’mon, Cy, say something,” she begs. She can feel tears start to form in her eyes.

Cyrus throws himself at her and wraps her into a tight hug. She hugs him back just as tight, and lets the tears fall, burying her face into her shoulder. “How long have you known?” he asks quietly.

“A few weeks,” she says.

He pulled away from the hug, looking completely serious, “Was it consensual?”

She nods and looks away, sniffling a bit. “Yeah...and it was a mistake, Cy. I didn’t even know him! I just...I wish I could go back and—” She chokes on her words, feeling a fresh wave of tears begin to fall

“I know,” he soothes. “But, you know, you have options. You can get an abortion if it’s early enough, or you can choose to give the child up for adoption, or—”

Amber shakes her head, “No. I...I’ve already weighed it with myself, and I...I wanna keep it.” She looks up at him, her face red and her eyes glassy. “Cyrus, what am I gonna do?” Her voice breaks toward the end, and it absolutely crushes Cyrus.

He pulls her into another hug. “You’re gonna get through this. _We’re_ gonna get through this. Together. I can talk to my mom and we can set up therapy if you want, and we can work it out to where she can take you to all of your doctor’s appointments.”

Amber doesn’t answer him, she only pulls him in tighter and begins to sob. “We’ll be okay,” he says, rubbing her back.

They stay like that for a while, crying and not moving from their spot on the floor. Amber is the first to pull away. “Gosh, you look like a mess!” she says, meeting Cyrus’ gaze. And, for the first time in days, she laughs.

“Me?” Cyrus asks, “Look at you! You’re practically covered in snot!”

“You look like a bug!” The pair fall to the floor in fits of laughter, and once they calm down, one of them says something that gets them laughing again. They keep laughing until their eyes tear up and they’re gasping for air, clutching their sides, and they almost forget about why they’re both here.

“Cyrus?” Amber asks. The sun is setting behind the Kippen residence, and the sky fades from pink to black. The baby taters from before are long gone, and the pair are laying on the floor of Amber’s bedroom in a comatose state after devouring an entire pizza together. Cyrus told his mom that he’d be sleeping over and that he’d be home tomorrow afternoon.

“Yeah?”

Amber rolls over onto her side to face him. “Do you wanna be the dad?”

Cyrus’ eyes go wide, and he quickly flips onto his side. “Do I want to _what_?” He gapes.

“_Stoooop_,” Amber says. “I’m serious! You’ve always talked about adopting kids one day. So...what if you just didn’t have to adopt? You’d only be, like, the honorary dad, but it still counts.” She reaches out to hold his hand, and she looks into his eyes. “I don’t know anyone else who could do this,” she says truthfully.

Cyrus takes a moment to think, and Amber waits patiently. “Okay,” he says finally. “I’ll do it.”

Amber grins, “Thank you.”

Cyrus nods and moves to lay on his back once more. His eyes widen in realization, “Oh my God, TJ.”

“What about him?”

Cyrus sits up, “What if he thinks I’m cheating on him? What if he thinks I’m not actually gay?”

“Cyrus, you’re basically the most out-and-proud queer person I know, and I’ve lived with my brother my whole life. If anything he’d just think we’re being besties as per usual. But you can’t tell him, remember, you promised.”

“And I’m not going to!” Cyrus says quickly. “But I’m just...scared.”

Amber lets out a forlorn sigh, “Cy, if anyone should be scared, it should be me. Plus, like you and the original cast of _High School Musical_ said, ‘we’re all in this together.’”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says. “Wait, do you think the first movie is better than the second one?”

“No way! The second one was the best!” Amber says. “Ryan single-handedly carried the _entire_ movie, how can you overlook that?”

They spend the rest of the night talking about the _High School Musical_ franchise, and mostly about nothing, until they both conk out at around eleven. The night is almost normal, almost how it would’ve been if the circumstances they were in were only subject to a movie. The thought wakes Amber at around three, jolting up with sweaty palms and ragged breaths. She glances over to Cyrus, who is still asleep, and feels dread and guilt growing in her stomach. She swore she wouldn’t tell anyone about this, she was supposed to do this on her own. What if he tells everyone?

She doesn’t go back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o)
> 
> i'm back
> 
> and i know it's been a while, but i've had this chapter idea planned since the idea came to me. i was writing one of my other wips (which is finished!! it just needs to go thru editing!!) when i opened this doc again, and then came this. 
> 
> random notes about my iife: i?? started driving recently?? it's terrifying, i'm so bad at it; i don't know how to park, and driving above 20mph scares me. the worst part is i have to actually start driving for driver's ed soon, and i only have seven hour-long sessions to prove that i, a bisexual female, Can drive. it's difficult stuff. 
> 
> anyway!! kudos and comments are appreciated!!! you can find me on tumblr at @slugpostage. 
> 
> have a great day :o)


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